After a disappointing outing at the World Cup on Grouse, Whistler’s elite mountain bikers were back on top of the podium at the third Canada Cup race of the season last week in Fernie, B.C.
The cross country course was extremely difficult, with mechanical problems and crashes claiming almost 40 riders.
In cross country on July 14, Whistler’s Will Routley claimed a silver medal in the Junior Expert men race, finishing three minutes back of Adam Coates of Saskatchewan. Routley is a member of the national junior team, the Rocky Mountain team, and was recently named to the B.C. team for the Canada Games.
Brook Baker, one of the top junior riders in B.C. and a member of the Single Track Off Road Mountain Bike Club (STORMBC) team, finished in eighth in the Junior Expert Women category.
In the Senior Elite men, Whistler’s Chad Miles – who rides for Roach and Evolution – finished in third place behind Mathieu Toulouse and Eric Tourville of Quebec. Local Michael Boehm finished 23 rd out of the field of over 50 riders.
Lisa Dickson was the top Whistler rider in the Senior Expert women’s race, finishing sixth behind a core of World Cup racers.
Shaun Greenaway finished 12 th in the Master 30 to 39 Expert men out of a field of 25 racers.
In the Downhill on July 15, Whistler’s Jeff Beatty won gold in the junior expert men, four tenths of a second ahead of the next competitor. His STORMBC / Specialized / Evolution teammate Kyle Treleaven finished 13 th overall out of more than 20 racers.
STORMBC founder and coach Chris Colbeck finished fifth in the Senior Elite men in his first race of the season, three seconds out of first in a field of over 40 racers.
Whistler’s Sylvie Allen, who rides for Rocky Mountain and Fanatyk Co. finished third in the women’s senior elite downhill.
